Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Energy and the Environment
Durbin Calls For An End To Small Refinery Waivers And Restoring Integrity To The Renewable Fuel Standard
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, along with Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Gary Peters (D-MI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), today urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to end the harmful abuse of small refinery hardship waivers under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In a letter sent to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, Durbin and his colle… Continue Reading
07.30.19
Durbin Introduces Bill To Make Cahokia Mounds A National Historic Park
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced a bill that would designate the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site as a National Historic Park. Cahokia Mounds is currently a National Historic Landmark, but Durbin's bill would provide a new designation that ensures protection for the ancient mounds in St. Clair and Madison counties along with Sugarloaf Mound in St. Louis-the city's only remaining mound. "The Cahokia Mounds represent the indigenous peoples and landscapes that once… Continue Reading
07.29.19
Illinois Congressional Delegation Urges FEMA to Support State's Request For Preliminary Flood Damage Assessment
WASHINGTON - The entire Illinois Congressional Delegation sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Acting Administrator Peter Gaynor supporting Illinois Governor JB Pritzker's request for an extension in conducting its Preliminary Damage Assessment from flooding events between February and July. A flood of this duration had not been seen in Illinois since the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, and at least 35 percent of the State's counties were affected and declared a disaster… Continue Reading
07.26.19
Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Renew And Expand Funding For The Great Lakes
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), today introduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and expand funding for the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2019 will reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which is set to expire at the end of Fiscal Year 2021, for another five years. The bill increases the current authorization level f… Continue Reading
07.25.19
Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Sweeping Environmental Justice Bill
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), introduced sweeping legislation to address the environmental injustices that harm communities of color, low-income communities, and indigenous communities around the country. The Environmental Justice Act of 2019 would require federal agencies to mitigate environmental injustices through agency action and would strengthen the legal protections of those affected by environmental in… Continue Reading
07.23.19
Durbin, Duckworth, Lipinski, Foster, Schneider, Casten Press EPA For Strict Ethylene Oxide Standards
WASHINGTON - In light of recent developments regarding the potential re-opening of the Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook, Illinois, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representatives Dan Lipinski (D-IL-03), Bill Foster (D-IL-11), Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), and Sean Casten (D-IL-06) today urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set new, strict national standards for facilities emitting ethylene oxide (EtO) as soon as possible. The members also … Continue Reading
06.26.19
Durbin, Duckworth, Bustos, Underwood Meet With FEMA Acting Administrator Gaynor
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representatives Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), today met with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Acting Administrator Peter T. Gaynor to push his agency to do everything in its power to help Illinois recover from and prepare for disasters. The members also urged Gaynor to improve the state application process for Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program (PDM) funding. "Illinoi… Continue Reading
06.25.19
Durbin, Grassley, Bipartisan Group Of Senators Urge EPA To Update Ethanol Science To Improve Trade
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), both members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today led a bipartisan group of Senators urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update an outdated environmental analysis on ethanol in order to improve foreign sales opportunities. Peer-reviewed science conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has affirmed U.S. ethanol lowers greenhouse gas emissions between 39 to… Continue Reading
06.13.19
Durbin, Davis Introduce Bill To Study Possible National Park For Julius Rosenwald
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Danny K. Davis (D-IL-07) today introduced a bill that honors Julius Rosenwald-the former part-owner of Sears, Roebuck and Company-for his work in establishing Rosenwald Schools to promote African American education in the rural South. The Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools Study Act would require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resources study of the sites associated with the life and legacy of Julius Ro… Continue Reading
06.13.19
Durbin, Duckworth Work To Bring Fairness to FEMA Disaster Declaration Process
WASHINGTON - Following historic and severe flooding affecting one-third of Illinois, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced the reintroduction of the Fairness in Federal Disaster Declarations Act. The bill would reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) disaster declaration process to make it more transparent and equitable to small and rural communities in larger states like Illinois. Due to FEMA's disaster declaration process, states like Ill… Continue Reading
06.11.19
On Senate Floor: Durbin Discusses Trip To Alton, Illinois To View Flood Damage
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today recounted his trip this past weekend to Alton, Illinois, on the Mississippi River and Winchester, Illinois, near the Illinois River to see first-hand the effects of severe flooding that has reached historically high levels and duration. Durbin thanked local volunteers, first responders, charitable organizations, and officials at Illinois' state government agencies for their emergency response efforts. Durbin al… Continue Reading
06.03.19
Durbin Discusses Historic Flooding With IEMA Acting Director
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke to Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) Acting Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau to get an update on how IEMA is responding to historic and ongoing flooding throughout Illinois. Durbin thanked first responders for their bravery and pledged to do everything he can in the Senate to ensure the federal government is being responsive to the needs of Illinois counties still at-risk of dangerous flooding. "It was good to speak with Acting Dir… Continue Reading
05.31.19
Durbin Statement On E15 Gasoline Rule
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today released the following statement after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule allowing the sale of E15 - gasoline containing as much as 15 percent ethanol-to be sold year-round. "Though I am pleased the EPA has finally issued this new rule for the sale of E15 gasoline, I remain concerned that the Trump Administration is issuing carve outs for Big… Continue Reading
05.21.19
Durbin, Duckworth Urge Treasury To Issue Carbon Capture Tax Credit Guidance
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) have joined a bipartisan group of Senators in requesting guidance from the Department of Treasury for the implementation of the carbon capture utilization and storage tax credit program under the FUTURE Act. In a letter to Secretary Steve Mnuchin, the Senators requested that Treasury issue an interim rule to allow carbon capture projects, which often have a long lead-time, to get underway and assign more staff to the develo… Continue Reading
05.15.19
Durbin, Duckworth, Lipinski, Foster, Schneider, Casten, Underwood Ask EPA To Inspect All Region 5 Facilities Using Ethylene Oxide
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representatives Dan Lipinski (D-IL-03), Bill Foster (D-IL- 11), Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), Sean Casten (D-IL-06), and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) today called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to immediately conduct inspections of all Region 5 facilities - including Medline Inc. in Waukegan, Illinois, and Vantage Specialty Chemicals Inc. in Gurnee, Illinois, which use ethylene oxide (EtO) for manufac… Continue Reading
05.01.19
Durbin, Quigley, Rubio, Duckworth, Rooney Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation To Map Urban Flooding & Help FEMA Better Assess Risks
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) and Francis Rooney (R-FL-19) today introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Flood Mapping Modernization and Homeowner Empowerment Pilot Program Act of 2019 to enhance the mapping of urban flooding to prevent associated damage. The legislation will help give cities and towns the tools they need to address flooding in a local context and then encourage the Fed… Continue Reading
04.11.19
Durbin, Duckworth, Lipinski, Schneider, Underwood Ask FDA About Alternatives To Ethylene Oxide For Medical Equipment Sterilization
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representatives Dan Lipinski (D-IL-03), Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), today asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about any actions it has taken, or plans to take, to examine and evaluate alternate, non-cancer causing medical equipment sterilization methods for use in the United States. In a letter to the FDA, the members highlighted the alarmingly high levels of ethylene oxide (… Continue Reading
04.10.19
Durbin Opposes Bernhardt Nomination To Be Interior Secretary
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding the nomination of David Bernhardt to be Secretary of the Interior: "President Trump's nominee to serve as Interior Secretary, David Bernhardt, has spent his career lobbying against conservation policies in order to enrich Big Oil companies. He favors fossil fuel interests over the environmental, health, and safety interests of the American people. Americans deserve an Interior Secretar… Continue Reading
04.10.19
Durbin Opposes Bernhardt Nomination To Be Interior Secretary
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding the nomination of David Bernhardt to be Secretary of the Interior: "President Trump's nominee to serve as Interior Secretary, David Bernhardt, has spent his career lobbying against conservation policies in order to enrich Big Oil companies. He favors fossil fuel interests over the environmental, health, and safety interests of the American people. Americans deserve an Interior Secretar… Continue Reading
04.09.19
Durbin, Grassley, Blunt, Baldwin, Bustos, Smith Lead Effort To Fund The Modernization Of Locks Along Upper Mississippi & Illinois Rivers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), along with U.S. Representatives Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) and Jason Smith (R-MO-8) led a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Senate and House appropriators urging the inclusion of funding for the Navigation and Ecosystem Restoration Program (NESP) in the Fiscal Year 2020 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bills. NESP, which was authorized in Title VIII of the Water Resources Devel… Continue Reading